ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

has anyone been wine tasting in temecula? i'm gonna be out there for a house warming party in the evening, and figured wine tasting during the day would be a good idea? first off, i know absolutely nothing about wine or what's good or what's bad, etc. for those that have been, which winery would you recommend? what kind of costs would i be looking at for 2 people? i see some wineries are waaay off the 15... are these roads lowered car friendly? how much time is usually spent at one of these events? are they usually packed on a sat this time of year? any other tips you can give me? sorry for all the questions... but like i said, i know nothing about wine. heck, i don't even drink it hahah! thanks in advance!

lyyca

iTrader: (23)

It's really fun over there, especially if your're a wine person. Pretty much there's this strip that's kind of in a middle of no where that has many decent wineries. Forget what's it's called but anyway, my favorite winery is hands-down, Ponte! Go check pontewinery.com. Great atmosphere. Very nice people. Great service only when not many people are there 'cause it does get really pack on the weekends. They also have decent dining. So, get drunk, got the munchies?, try their veal. Good stuff. You can always Yelp it. Well, have fun over there.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I've been there several times.

Awesome idea. Make sure you have a designated driver. Also, make sure you bring some snacks to munch on to prevent drunkenness.

You want to be pleasantly intoxicated, not belligerently drunk.

If you are a wine novice, I suggest going to Calloway Winery. They do a free tour every hour, describing how wine is made. Also, they have a wide variety of wines to try of every common varietal. They have very knowledgeable staff that will answer all your questions while you taste your wine, like what to look for and what to expect with the tastings.

Other interesting wineries to try is Stuart Cellars (they have an awesome chocolate port, and they also sell port-filled truffles) and Wilson Creek (they have an almond-flavored champagne).

In general, for most wineries, they charge $5 for a tasting of approx 4-5 wines. You choose which wines you want to try out of a list provided (most wineries do about a dozen different kinds of wines). The $5 tasting is not a per person charge; this is a per tasting charge. Two people can share the tastings if they want. This way, you sip the wine rather than drink the wine. Also, you get to keep the wine glass at the end of the tastings!!!

Then if you want to buy the wine, most bottles are $15-25 each on average in Temecula.

The roads to the wineries are car friendly. However, as soon as you're at the winery, some have unpaved dirt driveways, and some are on hilltops. Judge accordingly.

I usually spend about 30 minutes per winery, talking to the wine server about what they have and what the winery does. If the wine sucks, I stay for less than 20 minutes. If there are tours, give that an extra 30 minutes.

Not really.

Harvest time is over (it was in Sept/Oct), and there really is no reason for people to go there now. Maybe when Thanksgiving rolls along, but not now.

Pack a picnic basket. Bring your own lunch. Some cheese and crackers and fresh fruit, plus your favorite bottle of wine you find, will be an awesome meal. Callaway Winery and Wilson Creek have picnic areas and open lawns that make the picnic a special event. They'll even lend out wine glasses so that you don't need to drink the wine out of the bottle.

If you have any further questions, call me. I'm a wine pro...

RA40

iTrader: (6)

South Coast Winery Resort is our fav in the area. We've also stayed at their bungalows and they are pretty nice at about 1,200 sqft rooms. Jacuzzi tubs and a nice large dual head shower. In the price they also include a bottle of wine and 5-6 tokens per person for wine tasting. Wife has had several massage sessions at their spa and has been pleased. This is off season so you can probably get a nice rate if you want to stay over. As well, they also have a restaurant on property which is pretty nice. Their restaurant in Costa Mesa is also pretty nice with a fairly similar menu selection. They have tasting there too.

Bailey is a nice winery and they also have a restaurant downtown. Good eats, we had a seared duck breast last time and it was

The Thorton bubble is pretty good as far as sparkling CA wines go. Their restaurant has a well rounded menu selection and prices accordingly. (A bit high IMO) We usually do the sparkling sampler and order a dessert while slugging them down.

Some of the smaller wineries may have select hours mid-week. Most will be open weekends no problem. Phil's nailed it for you.

ULTiMaX99

iTrader: (5)

wow thanks guys for all the info!

kRonX

iTrader: (1)

There is also a trolley tour I went on that was really cool. They pick you up at a local meeting place and take you to 4 different wineries with a packed lunched in between. This is perfect if you want to get a little tipsy and do not want to drive around. It is a little bit pricey but is worth it.

Here are the links:
http://www.valleytrolley.com/

http://www.temeculacablecar.com/index.html